The Only Way Is Up

What a last day! We had the hardest headwinds to contend with yet, we had the biggest climbs of the ride to level and we were by no means fresh!! Both Al and myself think, without doubt, it was the hardest days riding we've ever done!

112.5 miles in 7hrs 16mins. And we remember every single second of it!

The ride started fairly rolling, nothing too challenging in terms of the terrain, but the cold north wind was freezing and blowing us backwards all the time. Just over halfway and it starts getting tougher, the wind is stronger, there are hail storms now and then and then we hit the hills! There were 2 main climbs - Helmsdale and Berrydale - the biggest we encountered! But it wasn't just them - all the way along the coastline it's constantly up and down. The closer we got to John O'Groats, the harder the wind blew and the colder it got, but by then nothing was stopping us!

We summited the last climb and there we could see in the distance - John O'Groats! 2 miles, running on pure adrenalin, wind blowing, hail falling, and we there!

The sense of achievement was incredible, we really did give it everything and we're so chuffed to have raised so much money for our charities. We've yet to count up all the forms we have out, but once we get them in, we'll publish the final figure...

If you haven't donated yet, you still can - please use the links on the left of the page...

Finally a HUGE thanks to everyone who's supported us, left comments, made donations or helped us in any way - every single part of it made a difference. Thanks to Endura Clothing for some great kit, Juice Lubes for some top quality lubes and cleaners to keep us running and Morans Motorhomes for the bike rack.

Al and I would like to say a MASSIVE thanks to Dave O - this bloke has been an absolute legend - he's kept us running the whole way, be it, cooking up the breakfast, brewing cups of tea, shopping, organising campsites, the list is endless! But most of all it meant so much to us to have such a great person there to keep our spirits up when we were struggling (well, take the proverbial anyway!) and give us good advice.

Dave O - we are forever in your debt! But there's no need to eat all our sweets when your crusing around in the camper - that was low!!!

So final milage count (according to my Cateye Micro Wireless) = 865 miles

Riding time = 54hrs 51mins

Average speed = 15.77mph

Considering that for only about 6 hours of that we didn't have a head wind, we're chuffed with that!

I'll get some more stuff on here, over the next week or so, about our kit, bikes and tips for the ride - should any of you want to take it on someday...

At 7.05pm today we arrived at John O'Groats!

We're so happy to have done it and the sense of achievement is amazing!

The signal strength is poor up here, so only a short report with no pics sorry!

And we gotta go celebrate!....

Thanks to everyone who has supported us, you have all helped us more than you can imagine!

Full report soon....

What a day! It's been hard but really rewarding. We have covered 114.5 miles in just 6hrs 38mins - thats over 17mph average speed!

The ride started just outside Perth on the A9 (we stay on the A9 all the way now) the weather was bright but windy. After a few miles the wind was evil - blowing hard, straight at us for around 15-20 miles. It was the hardest riding we've done so far - at one point we were giving it everything we'd got and going just 9-10 mph on the flat!! Even the downhills were hard - we just couldn't stop pedaling! We stopped for a break here...

Then, as if by magic the wind changed direction! It blew us along at a fair rate of notts!! We did around 15 miles in just 45 mins!!! At times we were doing 30mph on the flat! Awesome!!

Then after Aviemore, the wind turned back at us, even more brutal this time. The wind seems to circulate around the hills and changes constantly. Some of the side winds were blowing us 2-3 feet sideways! However we pressed on, giving it 110% and we finally stopped north of Inverness, leaving us with approx. 115 miles to ride tomorrow. We're over the moon with the ride today - our fastest yet, with some of the worst conditions - it rained heavily for the last 15 mins of the ride too! How did I do it with an injured ankle? Check out this bit of tape work, it worked a treat!...

We can't wait for tomorrow - the last day, all being well! We just fuelled up with a nice big Steak and Chips at the Novar Arms Hotel in Evanton - highly recommended!!

We've got 2 big climbs to level along the way, so it's not going to be easy, but it's going to take something BIG to stop us now!

We've got on ok today - the weather has been perfect, the sun's been out, it's been warm and at last the wind has died down and was even helping us in a place or 2!!

The road from Moffat to Edinburgh was a brilliant road, a fairly tough climb to start, then rolling roads - really fast and smooth. The views along it were amazing - this is the top of the climb to start...

When we hit Edinburgh (at about 50 miles) we'd averaged almost 17mph - not bad considering I've made myself a new ankle out of tape! But then the road we were due to take had been closed and the diversion was onto a dual carriage way that bikes are not permitted to go on. So we had to go through the centre of Edinburgh to get to the Forth Road Bridge. After a few circles and dodgy directions from people in the city, we eventually came across a sign for National Cycle Route 1, to take us to the bridge.

Over the bridge and onto some open roads again, we pushed on and made it to Perth - 105.5 miles in 6hrs 45mins.

We're now camped up at Noah's Ark Campsite on the outskirts of Perth and just devoured a Chinese take away

Gotta get some sleep - big day tomorrow, we've 230 miles left to go and want to get it done in 2 days, we'll see how it goes...

Leave you with some evidence gathered against me for speeding and riding erratically, while exiting the Forth Road Bridge!...

Today has been good and bad...

We started off the ride with a rolling 2 miles before climbing Shap Fell (it's not as bad as we expected! I didn't actually think we'd got to it and the hill we we're ridding up was just on the way!!), then down into Shap and along the A6 to Carlisle. It wasn't bad weather, no rain apart from Dave O giving us a blast with the windscreen washers on the way past!! But the wind was blowing at us hard again during the course of the morning - hopefully the wind will help us for at least 1 day!!!

After about 40 miles I had to stop and do something about my ankle - I strained the Acilles Tendon slightly yesterday - I strapped it up with some tape and limped on. I can't put much power down, so we only got 84 miles done today, in 5hrs and 47mins. Slow, but progress all the same.

The weather was better in the afternoon, it warmed up nicely and the wind died down a little, although still blowing in the wrong direction!! We crossed the border into Scotland, Al's homeland, so I got a quick pic for him...

We then followed the B7076 and A701 to Moffat, where we stopped for the day.

We've parked up at a campsite called Craigielands Country Park, where they have kindly given us a free pitch for the night as we're raising money for charity, so thanks very much to Sue!

Looking forward to tomorrow - it's up to Edinburgh, try and find our way onto the Forth Road Bridge and then see how far we can get heading in the direction of Perth...

It's been a good day today, starting out from where we left last night, we've made our way up the A49 then onto the A6, finishing up around 6 miles north of Kendal.

So we've managed to cover 111 miles in 6hrs 52mins, happy with that because our average speed is up and we've both had some really bad patches today - I started the ride with a banging head ache and never really got going 'till the 50 mile mark, and Al was really feeling it over the last hour of the ride. The last hour was tough - some good climbs out of Kendal, but the views were amazing! Here's a shot from where we stopped...

We just got back from a pub called The Station Inn, just outside Kendal, where we had a feast of some of the best pub grub I've had - 10/10!! Recommended for sure!

We're getting more tired by the day now and it's taking us a while to get up to speed on the bikes when we start off, and tomorrow we'll be climbing up 'Shap' - a 6 mile long climb that is 1400 vertical feet at the top!! So that should loosen the legs a little - it start around 2 miles into the ride!!

We'll be entering Al's homeland tomorrow - Scotland here we come!....

Great day today! We've seen the back of Monmouthshire, Herefordshire and Shropshire and now we're in Cheshire!

We've covered 117.5 miles in 7hrs 18mins. So were getting faster slowly! The head winds are still haunting us, but we've had a little more shelter along the quieter parts, so not too bad. The weather has been amazing otherwise, temperature just about right.

The first part of the ride from Chepstow to Hereford, on the A466, was brilliant, some tough climbs to get the blood flowing nicely and some amazing views - a pleasure to ride along and a real uplift after riding some busy roads the 2 days previous. Then we got chauffeur riden through Hereford by our good friend Pricer, check out his blog here. Cheers Pricer!  We've followed the A49 all the way up to around 5-6 miles north of Whitchurch and now we're off to Tarporley for a feast!!

We've had lots of support today, going through our home counties, so thanks to everyone that we saw, it really gave us a lift. Thanks to everyone who gave us a toot on thier horn along the A49, Lindsey Pearce kindly rang Radio Shropshire to put out an announcement for people to look out for us, so thank Lindsey! Thanks to Mat Pearce for melody of all the sirens from his Ambulance! And a BIG thanks to my Mum, who loaded us up with the best cakes your ever likely to taste and a whole load more goodies to keep us going, so thanks Mum!

We're looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully the wind will be kind?!...

We got on well today - 115 miles covered in 7 hours 20mins. Weather has been good - nice and warm, but our number 1 enemy has been haunting us again today!!...

The wind, in places, has been blowing staight at us, and hard! One stretch of road had a long sweeping climb where the first part was sheltered, then round the corner and we almost got blown back down the thing!!!

We're starting to consume a fair fit of food now - today I got through 1 full english, 2 pieces of toast, 1 bowl of cereal, 4 energy bars, 3 energy gels, 2 big chunks of malt loaf, 2 packs of crisps, 2 chocolate bars, 2 bananas, 2 apples, fish n chips (large!), 1 battered sausage (large again!), lots of biscuits, 5 cups of tea and around 3 litres of energy/recovery drinks. I'm still hungry too!

We encountered a few towns and 2 cities to navigate our way through today, the traffic was heavy and slowed us up a little, but still we made good time.

We crossed the bridge into Chepstow, where Dave O picked us up to take us to the campsite (off route!). We had a quick fill of fish, chips, sausage and more chips!  Then spent the next hour trying to find the most remote and poorly signed campsite ever!! It's not very good either

Poor signal here, so no pics today sorry!

We're off up the A466 in the morning, then onto the A49 for as far as we can get!...

If you want to come out and support us, please ring Pearce Cycles on 01584 879288 and they will be able to give you a rough time...

Thanks to everyone who's donated and for all your comments, sorry if I haven't replied yet - too much to do, and lots of sleep to get!!

We got on well today - 115 miles covered in 7 hours 20mins. Weather has been good - nice and warm, but our number 1 enemy has been haunting us again today!!...

The wind, in places, has been blowing staight at us, and hard! One stretch of road had a long sweeping climb where the first part was sheltered, then round the corner and we almost got blown back down the thing!!!

We're starting to consume a fair fit of food now - today I got through 1 full english, 2 pieces of toast, 1 bowl of cereal, 4 energy bars, 3 energy gels, 2 big chunks of malt loaf, 2 packs of crisps, 2 chocolate bars, 2 bananas, 2 apples, fish n chips (large!), 1 battered sausage (large again!), lots of biscuits, 5 cups of tea and around 3 litres of energy/recovery drinks. I'm still hungry too!

We encountered a few towns and 2 cities to navigate our way through today, the traffic was heavy and slowed us up a little, but still we made good time.

We crossed the bridge into Chepstow, where Dave O picked us up to take us to the campsite (off route!). We had a quick fill of fish, chips, sausage and more chips!  Then spent the next hour trying to find the most remote and poorly signed campsite ever!! It's not very good either

Poor signal here, so no pics today sorry!

We're off up the A466 in the morning, then onto the A49 for as far as we can get!...

If you want to come out and support us, please ring Pearce Cycles on 01584 879288 and they will be able to give you a rough time...

Thanks to everyone who's donated and for all your comments, sorry if I haven't replied yet - too much to do, and lots of sleep to get!!

Just got back from the pub! We've had a tough first day - but we've made good progress, we've made it to Whiddon Down, a small village on the way to Exeter.

We started off the day with a photo at Land's End, in front of the sign...

The first part of the ride was on some fairly quiet roads (A30) with some nice rolling terrain, then the A30 turns into a dual carriage way. The further we went along it, the heavier the traffic got!!

We had a few problems today - I got 2 punctures, the second of which put a nice big hole in the side of my brand new tyre! But the main problem was the stregth of the head wind we had to ride into - it made the ride hard, very hard! But the sun was out and we were ridding our bikes, so overall we've been happy with the day and looking forward to tomorrow...

Dave O has been a star today, providing us with much needed support, supply of cups of tea and general, in his words, whitty banter!

Leave you with an insight into how well Al is getting on with his weight loss diet...

See ya tomorrow!

We've made it down to Land's End! We've had a great drive down in the camper - no one was sick, the camper is still upright and we're all still mates!

We arrived at our campsite a couple of miles from Land's End - Lower Treave - a great little campsite with good facilities and a friendly welcome. We popped down to Sennen Cove for a bite to eat at the Old Success Inn, and what a feed!! The food was awesome and there was plenty of local liquid produce to sample

Back in the camper now - Al's burnt all the hairs on his arms firing up the kettle, and now he's attempting to burn the water!!!!

We're really excited for tomorrow now - hopefully we'll get to Exeter - the weather looks great and the roads look great, fast and rolling with a few climbs to test the legs.

We'll leave you, until tomorrow night, with a view from Sennen Cove...

Right, then left, 2nd right, 1st left....

Here it is...

So there you have it - approx 890 miles to cover and hopefully in 8 days?!!

We do have a rough schedule, but we're not going to say too much just yet! We want to see how we go on the first few days and perhaps step it up from there on. But I can tell you we will be looking to get almost to Exeter on the first day (approx 105 miles), then up to Chepstow on the second day (approx 115 miles) and as far up the A49 as we can get on the third day!!

It would be great if anyone wants to join us on the way, or just come and give us a cheer, or throw something at us!!  If you want to know when we're going past near you, please email me on jwilliams83@gmx.co.uk and I'll let you know when we are likely to be passing...

...or not if we get lost!!

Run to the hills!!!

Yesterday was our last long ride before we start the ride next Sunday. So with the hills of Cornwall in mind - we decided to head west into Wales for some proper hills!! Our mate pricer got wind of it and rode out to join us - Pricer is a machine when it comes to hills!

Here's where we went...

So starting from my place, in Shobdon, a few miles down the road into Wales...

The wind is blowing straight at us and it's tough, we're taking it in turns to go on the front to give each other some shelter for a while. The terrain is fairly flat with some nice rolling roads all the way to Bledffa. Then it goes up! It's a good climb out of Bleddfa - a fairly stable gradient, so you can get into a nice rhythm. Then it flattens out a little and rolls along to Penybont Common, the wind is howling straight into our faces and it's hard work! Turn left in Penybont and it felt like we were riding in a different country! The sun came out, the wind was behind us and we were flying! After a failed attempt at a short-cut over to Hundred House, we decided to carry on down the A44 and take the main road there. Another good climb after Llandegley, it meanders around the hillside - some amazing views and a steady climb. So over to Hundred House, we turn left down a lane heading for Glascwm. We rode this stretch of road last year in the Autumn Epic and we just had to ride it again! There's a hill that's truly awesome - with an incline of 1 in 4 for 1km! The worst bit about it is that the ride into it looks fairly flat, but it's one of those illusions, a trick of the eye, and it's tough! So we're at the bottom, over the cattle grid and Pricer's off! He loves his hills and they seem to love him - and hate me and Al!! The climb rally takes it out of you, you have to give it everything to get up there! A quick stop at the top to steady ourselves (Pricer had a long stop!!) and we're off again - FAST!! A really fast descent follows with speeds up to 45mph, then hard on the brakes to turn right for Newchurch. I must have gone too hard on the brakes - my front tube blew from the heat of my rim, luckily, just after we turned off!! A few seconds earlier and I would be writing this from A&E!! All the way to Hay-on-Wye it's up and down and they're tough climbs, the countryside is brilliant - great views. The wind is back in our faces, but we're still going strong! Top speed was recorded along this stretch going down to Clyro - 48mph, then a car got in the way!!

Here's Al and Pricer just before the descent...

We had decided to stop at a cafe in Hay-on-Wye, and in the process of finding it we stumbled across a mate of our's - Ben Morgan - so we had a good rest and Ben's girlfriend Jess got us some Ice Creams each, thanks very much Jess - they we're awesome! Then we found the cafe - Cafe Hay - a great cafe/restaurant with a great selection of properly home cooked food and cakes - recommended!!

Out of Hay we went and I was struggling, my legs had stiffened up with the rest, but we were making good progress along the rolling roads by the river. Over the picturesque Bredwardine Bridge, a short sharp climb and then a blast down the A438 - Pricer had it lit down here, we were taking it in turns on the front and blitzed it at over 26 mph most of the way! Then a long drag up and around to Mansel Gammage. Legs are getting heavy now and running out of water! Pricer peels off in Weobley and we make our way back home along some lanes with some tough little climbs in, just to get the last out of us!! We run out of water and have to call in to my brother's place for a top up. Then a quick spin home...

A great ride with some monster hills, we should be ready for anything Cornwall can throw at us now!...

If you're not into bikes, sorry this may be boring for you!

Anyway - bring on the bikes...

Jim's weapon of choice - a Specialized Roubaix Pro.

This is no standard bike, it has been built up from the bare frame with parts chosen for their quality, functionality, durability and light weight, and if it's shiny even better!!

I don't want to sound big headed, but I know a bit about bikes, I've been a bike mechanic for over 11 years now, so you won't go far wrong building a bike up similar to this one...

I've built it up with a Shimano Ultegra SL groupset (with the exception of a Dura Ace hollow pin chain), Mavic Ksyruim Elite wheelset and a Specialized S-Works finishing kit. For the ride I'll be using a 'compact' chainset, to give me some lower gearing for the big climbs in Cornwall and Scotland. I've just fitted some new tyres - Michelin Pro Race 3 700x23C - they are great tyres, they give a huge amount of grip, they are really fast rolling but still comfortable and they are of the quality Michelin are renowned for.

I've chosen to use Specialized S-Works carbon bars and Specialized Roubaix bar tape to keep my hands in touch with the bike - the level of comfort with this combination is second to none! For the main point of contact I've chosen a Specialized Romin SL saddle and a Specialized S-Works Pave carbon seatpost. Again I can't fault these parts for comfort and light weight - Specialized saddles are actually medically and scientifically proven to increase blood flow to your vital parts!!

I believe this is the best bike for me, for this ride. It's fast, it's easy to ride and it's extremely comfortable. All the components are reliable and give great performance. I'm so confident in this bike, I am taking hardly any spare parts! Oh and my new red tyres are amazing!! 

Al's weapon of choice - a Specialized Tarmac Comp.

Al started out with this bike as standard, but over time he has upgraded it and turned it into his perfect bike...

Like Jim, Alex has built a bike that is light weight, durable and comfortable for long rides.

Al has upgraded the standard Shimano 105 groupset to an Ultegra SL groupset, after a few niggles with reliability with the gear shifters on the 105. He has also changed to a compact chainset to keep those big climbs in check! Al says "The Ultegra groupset is great, I noticed straight away the difference. The gear shift is much smoother and crisper, and the braking performance is awesome!"

Al also uses Mavic Ksyruim Elite wheels, on recommendation from Jim, he thinks they are a great wheelset, super strong but still light and really fast rolling! Al has chosen to run Continental GP4000S 700x23 tyres, Al knows a thing or 2 about tyres, he is Manager at HiQ tyres in Ludlow, he says "the GP4000S is a great tyre - hard wearing, strong casing, but still supple and the level of grip is awesome - far beyond my capabilities!! Not brave enough, that's my trouble!

Al will be using a Specialized Toupe saddle, he has found it to be the most comfortable saddle he's ever had! He will also be fitting Specialized Roubaix bar tape for some extra comfort, every little will make a difference on this ride!!

Both of us use Juice Lubes products to keep their bikes clean and running sweet. The Dirt Juice is an excellent bike cleaner, it really gets the bike looking like new again! If the weather is kind, we will be using Ceramic Juice, a top quality dry chain lube - it doesn't attract grime and the quality is so good, it will add miles to your chain life!

All of the products we use are available from Pearce Cycles.

When we were initially planning the ride, we had to decide on how we should go about our sleeping arrangments...

Do we carry all our stuff go it alone, camping and using B&B's? or...

Do we get someone to drive a support vehicle, then camp or B&B?

Well, we came up with a better idea...

We thought what better way than to travel light and get someone to drive a camper van? That way we can cover more distance, carry less weight, and we can go as far as we feel we can! So we won't be tied to a B&B or a particular location, we can just keep going if we feel fresh, or we can stop if we are struggling!

We've been lucky enough to have the one and only - Dave Oliver - to offer his services to drive a camper van for us! Dave will be a massive help to us, we shall be calling upon his experience as a LeJoG veteran!

We've been even more lucky, in that a good friend of Dave's has very kindly given us free use of his pride and joy!

Roger Price, of Country Skills, is the man in question...

Country Skills is a family business run by Roger. They specialise in Outside Renovation, Tree Surgery, Hard Landscaping, Slabbing, Fencing, Decking, Roffing and Contract Mowing. They are CPCS/NPTC Approved and fully insured. So if you would like a free quotation, please give Roger a call on 07967 140720 or email rogerprice@countryskills.co.uk

The only thing we have been left wanting for is a bike rack for the camper van...

So we gave Moran Motorhomes, of Ludlow, a call. These guys really are superb, they have sorted us out with a new rack and are currently fitting it for us. The quality of service is excellent at Moran's - they have been selling, servicing and hiring Motor Homes from thier Ludlow site since 1998 and have been dealing with motor homes since 1989. At present they are Main Dealers for both Autocruise & Bessacarr from the Swift Group, as well as Burstner, Chausson and Romahome.  They believe that between the five franchises they can offer both new and seasoned motor homers a wide choice varying in size and budget.  Due to the nature of thier family business, they believe that they can offer excellent service with thier personal sales approach and after sales service.­­

So BIG thanks to Dave Oliver, Roger Price and Scott at Moran Motorhomes!

Our inspiration for the ride has to Dave Oliver's ride nearly 3 years ago...

Dave O completed the ride in just over 11 days, in terrible conditions and at the age of 72!!

Dave is an inspiration of a man, he has determination and drive in abundance. He quietly clocked up the miles with no self-praise at all. The man is a living legend!

Dave has kindly given us his diary for the ride so we can share it with you...

"Day 1 - 09/05/2007

Land's End to Redruth - weather dry for first hour, rain for rest of ride. Lovely start to the ride.

Riding time 1.95 hours, 30.76 miles, average 15.8 mph, max 38 mph.

Day 2

Redruth to Exeter - weather, rain all day - no let up at all. Rolling ride spoilt by bad weather.

Riding time 6.09 hours, 94.38 miles, average 15.5 mph, max 40 mph.

Day 3

Exeter to Bristol - weather fine until midday then rain rest of ride. Felt tired in morning but rode off tiredness when rain came.

Riding time 5.5 hours 79.15 miles, averag 14.4 mph, max 42.2 mph.

Day 4

Bristol to Ludlow - weather mainly fine with showers. Didn't feel too bad - quite a hilly ride - had a rest break South of Hereford.

Riding time 5.84 hours, 81.23 miles, average 13.9 mph, max 37.9 mph.

Day 5

Ludlow to Tarporley - weather aweful, poured with rain all day! Felt ok but weather depressing.

Riding time 4.39 hours, 66.23 miles, average 15.1 mph, 28.4 mph.

Day 6

Tarporley to Lancaster - weather fine and dry but wind from the North! Felt better as weather ok.

Riding time 5.33 hours, 73.05 miles, average 13.7 mph, max 30 mph.

Day 7

Lancaster to Carlisle - weather best day yet, but wind still from North! Had to climb 'Shap' - not too bad - felt tired in afternoon.

Riding time 5.6 hours, 71.66 miles, average 12.8 mph, max 30.6 mph.

Day 8

Carlisle to Penicuik - weather, rain all day but enjoyed the ride, even the climb over 'Devils Beek Tub'

Riding time 6.28 hours, 88.59 miles, average 14.1 mph, max 29.4 mph.

Day 9

Penicuik to Dunkeld - weather mainly fine. Problems getting onto the Forth Road Bridge and getting through Perth.

Riding time 5.52 hours, 73.47 miles, average 13.3 mph, max 38.2 mph.

Day 10

Dunkeld to Aviemore - weather gales and rain to begin but improved later on.

Riding time 4.88 hours, 71.7 miles, average 14.7 mph, max 39.6 mph.

Day 11

Aviemore to Tain - weather gales and rain 'till midday then showers and following wind!

Riding time 4.43 hours, 65.16 miles, average 14.7 mph, max 37.8 mph.

Day 12

Tain to John O'Groats - weather best day yet! Few showers but sunshine and following wind in the main. Three significant climbs - Helmsdale, Berriedale and another.

I HAVE DONE IT!!

Grand Totals

Milage - 885.24

Average - 14.33 mph

Riding time - 62.28 hours"

The ride was ridden on Dave's winter bike - a Specialized Tricross. Dave recons it was the perfect bike for the ride and the conditions. Something tells me he isn't going to sell that bike in a hurry!

So when we are struggling along, moaning about the weather, winging that we ache, we can just take a moment to think about the fact that Dave O's blown us straight out the back!!

Respect to Dave O!

Here's a little history on LEJOG...

So what is LEJOG? 

"Land's End to John o' Groats (abbreviated LEJOG or LE-JOG, or JOGLE when covered from North to South) is the traversal of the whole length of the island of Great Britain between two extremities; in the southwest and northeast. The distance by road is 874 miles (1,407 km) and takes most cyclists ten to fourteen days; the record for running the route is ninedays. Off-road walkers typically walk 1,200 miles (1,900 km) and take two or three months for the expedition."

I hope we can beat the running record anyway! I will sell my bike and buy some trainers otherwise!! 

We will be travelling light so we can cover as much ground as possible each day, but we are going to be nowhere near these records...

Mens Single - 2001 - G Butler - 44hrs, 4mins and 20secs

Womens Single - 2002 - L E A Taylor - 52hrs, 45mins and 11secs

Mens Tandem - 1966 - P M Swindon & W J Withers - 50hrs, 14mins and 25secs

Mixed Tandem - 2000 - A Wilkinson & Miss L E A Taylor - 51hrs, 19mins and 23secs

Unicycle Record

The unicycle record for the Lands End to John O'Groats journey is held by Michael Arets and Mike Day, who traveled 880 miles, in 14 days 12 hours and 41minutes, between 27th August and 10th September 1986.

Youngest Cyclist

To date, the youngest known end to end cyclist is Bow Jango Cann, aged seven years and nine months, who, on the 21st July 2002, took the record from his brother Capability Jack Cann, aged eight, who had earned the title only ten seconds before! They did the trip in 22 days unaided, using their own bikes,they rode with their teenage sisters and their parents Jim and Sam.

Recumbent

A Wilkinson, who also holds the mixed tandem record, currently holds the record for a recumbent end to end; he completed the trip in 41 hours and 2minutes!!

We will be happy to complete the ride in 9 days, but 8 days will be great -we'll see how it goes...

There is one record I can't find out any info on - the most amount of moneyraised for charity on a cycle ride from Land's End to John O'Groats!

So lets see if we can set a record - please help out our charities, and donate what you can, every little helps and we hope to make a difference for the people who are being helped by these 2 great charities. You can use the'Just Giving' links on the left of the page, or contact me here and I'll let you know where you can find a donation form near you...

Just the other day we took delivery of some new kit from Endura...

Endura have kindly helped us out with an excellent deal on some of thier top quality clothing. We now have some great kit to use in training and on the ride - below are the item's we have got, click on the pics for more info...

So a BIG 'thanks' to Endura and keep an eye out for some product reviews soon...

We have recieved news that Juice Lubes are going to be supporting us with thier great range of cycling specific lubricants and cleaners! We would like to say a big 'Thank You' to all the guys at Juice Lubes, they have been very generous with thier support.

Juice Lubes have a great range of products, currently they have various lubes and cleaners available and they are constantly expanding thier range. All the products are top quality and great value for money. Best of all they are a British company!

The lubes and cleaners we are planning to use (above) are the 'Chain Juice', a wet conditions chain lube which does what a wet lube should – it stays on your chain and keeps lubricating in wet conditions. 'Ceramic Juice', a hi tech dry to moist conditions chain lube - doesn't attract dirt and grime and shifting performance is greatly enhanced. 'Dirt Juice', a completely non-solvent, non hazardous and fully bio-degradable degreaser, that cleans dirt off your bike like nothing else.  It won't make your brakes squeal if you get it on the pads and it won't perish or warp any rubber o-rings or seals.

Check out thier full range on the Juice Lubes Website...

www.juicelubes.co.uk

Now that the weather has taken a turn for the better, and it's now safe to ride on the defrosted lanes, we are out on the road, getting some miles under our belt.

Only problem is that we work in the day, except Sundays, so daylight rides are few and far between. Night rides are the answer! But isn't it a bit dodgy riding in the dark?!...

Good lights are essential for safety as well as making riding at night more fun. We choose to use Hope Vision lights, we have the 2 LED versions, but all of them are great for night riding on the road. Pearce Cycles offer all the lights at discounted prices here.

They all have multiple power settings to suit the conditions and the duration of the ride. They will last up to 12 hours on low setting! And, if you're in a group, low is all you need sometimes!

It's not all about the front though, a good rear light will make you stand out and give motorists loads of notice that you are there. Cateye make a great light that I use, the TL-AU100BS, it's a fairly large rear light, buy if they can't see you with this light on the back, then they must be asleep!! It is an awesome light specifically designed for the UK, check it out here.

To complete your visibility offensive, you need to get yourself a good quality cycling jacket in a hi-visibility colour with reflective strips built in.

You can also use various other reflective products to increase your visibility, but we think the above things are enough for us.

So don't let the dark nights keep you off your bike, get kitted up and get on your bike!